Planning permission suspended on large home extensions

Three year suspension of planning permission for single-story extensions

May 10, 2013

A raft of measures granting new permitted development rights in England – including those for rear-of-house extensions – will come into force on 30 May and wll last for 3 years. .The measures include increasing the size of single-storey rear extensions which can be built without planning permission, but they will be subject to a ‘light-touch’ neighbour consultation scheme. The size limits for extensions on detached homes will double from 4 metres to 8 metres and for attached properties, from 3 metres to 6 metres

The neighbour consultation will last at least 21 days and any objections raised in this period will be considered by the local authority.

There are concerns that the new relaxed rules will cause an explosion to disputes between neighbours when large extensions blight the surrounding neighbourhood. The compromise the government has reached in the faced of this objection is the neighbour consultation scheme. Only time will tell if this safety net will work in preventing unsightly extensions popping up around the country.

What do you think of the new rules? Are they a much needed holiday from the tyranny of planning or a builder’s charter? Please leave a comment and don’t forget to sign up to our monthly newsletter to keep up to date with all our latest news and offers.